Card game
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
Say the word, watch the card, slap the pile before everyone else
- Set-up
- Under a minute
- Reading
- None
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Big, noisy family get-togethers, with up to 8 players in one game
Think twice if Your group dislikes loud games or people slapping hands on the table
How we rate it
Learning curve. Say the next word, slap on a match, and learn three special actions. That's the whole game, on a par with UNO on our scale.
Luck & skill. There's no strategy, but fast reactions and keeping track of the chant matter as much as the order the cards come out in.
Interaction. Everyone races for the same pile on every match, and hands land on top of each other.
Set-up. Shuffle and deal each player a face-down pile (12 cards each for up to five players in Blue Orange's rules). Nobody looks at their cards.
Reading. Each card shows a picture with its name. Players only need the five chant words, which a group can swap for Hindi or any language it likes.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
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Is Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza right for you?
Great if
- Big, noisy family get-togethers, with up to 8 players in one game
- Mixed ages, since quick hands and a sharp ear matter more than strategy
- Filling ten minutes before dinner, or warming up a party before a longer game
- Packing for a trip: it is one small deck of 64 cards
Skip it if
- Your group dislikes loud games or people slapping hands on the table
- You want planning or strategy; this is pure reflexes and concentration
- You play mostly with one other person; it works with 2 but gets much better with 4 or more
A place on the honours list
Good company to be in.
Recognition from beyond our table.
Mums Choice Awards (UK), Best Family Games, 2020 (Gold)
How Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza plays
Each player is dealt a face-down pile and doesn't look at it. In Blue Orange's rules, used for the edition sold in India, that's 12 cards each for 2 to 5 players, 10 for 6 players and 8 for 7 or 8, with the spare cards left in the box. Most cards show one of five pictures: a taco, a cat, a goat, a piece of cheese or a pizza.
- Time to teach: about 2 minutes.
- Reading and language: The cards have pictures and no text to read. The catch is the chant: players say Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza in that order as they flip cards, so everyone needs to know those five English words. A group can agree to use Hindi or Tamil words instead, as long as everyone uses the same five in the same order. The rules leaflet is the only thing that needs reading.
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza - Game Rules · Blue Orange France · Official
Choose a video · Watch right here
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A turn, step by step
- 1Flip
Turn the top card of your face-down pile onto the middle pile and say the next word of the chant: Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza, then back to Taco.
- 2Slap
When the picture matches the word just said, everyone slaps the pile and the last hand down takes it. A gorilla, groundhog or narwhal card needs its action first, and a wrong slap or a flinch also costs you the pile.
- 3Win
Once your pile is empty, keep saying your word. The first player with no cards to slap first on the next match or special card wins.
The full explanation: how a game of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza goes
Going round the table, each player flips the top card of their pile onto a shared pile in the middle and says the next word of the chant out loud: Taco, then Cat, then Goat, then Cheese, then Pizza, and back to Taco. The word you say has nothing to do with the card you flip, which is exactly what makes it hard.
When the word someone says matches the picture on the card they just played, everyone races to slap the middle pile. The last person to slap picks up the whole pile and adds it to their own. Slapping when there is no match also costs you the pile, and so does stumbling over your word.
Three special cards (the gorilla, the groundhog and the narwhal) each need an action before you slap. For the gorilla you beat your chest, for the groundhog you knock on the table with both hands, and for the narwhal you raise your hands above your head to make a horn. The last person to do the action and slap takes the pile.
Once your pile is empty, you are not done yet. You keep saying your word on your turn, and you win only when you are the first to slap correctly on the next match or special card. That last stretch is where most of the shouting happens.
What's in the box
- 64Cards
11 each of Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese and Pizza, plus 3 each of the Gorilla, Groundhog and Narwhal special cards - 1Rules leaflet
Box: 12.2 × 8.2 × 4.0 cm, 0.2 kg. Handy to know for gifting and travel.
Blue Orange's rulebook lists 64 cards. The split per picture comes from a US rules guide for the same deck. In Blue Orange's rules each player gets 12 cards (2 to 5 players), 10 (6 players) or 8 (7 or 8 players) and the spare cards stay in the box; the US rules deal out the whole deck.
Where to buy
Paid link · We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Reviewers describe Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza as a few minutes of loud, silly chaos that anyone can learn in a minute and that children often win. It works best as a warm-up or filler with a lively group, and nobody is knocked out along the way. The downsides are physical and social: slapping can leave sore hands, it gets very noisy, and some players take it too seriously.
What people love
- Learned in a minute and over in under ten, so it fits before dinner or between longer games
- Children can beat adults, because the chant trips up everyone
- Gets a whole group laughing, and no one is knocked out of the game
- Cheap and pocket-sized, easy to carry anywhere
Common complaints
- Hands get slapped: the rules warn about physical contact, and a few rounds can leave a sore hand
- Very loud and hectic, which doesn't suit every child or a quiet home
- Strict penalties for flinching or breaking the rhythm, and some players get too competitive
Based on 7 reviews and discussions
- Review Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza Game Review (Justin Bell, February 2024) · Meeple Mountain
- Review Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza Review (Luke Pickles, July 2021) · Zatu Games blog
- Review Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza content review for parents (June 2023) · Bark
- Players Matching when out of cards (forum thread) · BoardGameGeek forums
- Award Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza and Telestrations win at Mums Choice Awards 2020 (June 2021) · Asmodee UK
- Video How to Play - Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza | Gameplay & Review | Hindi (March 2021) · Chai & Games (YouTube)
- Reference Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza · Wikipedia
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Say the word, watch the card, slap the pile before everyone else | A different fit Another fast reflex card game for up to 8, with spotting instead of slapping | A different fit Just as easy for mixed ages, but calmer and turn-based | A different fit A silly, quick card game for families and friends, with an Indian-made edition |
| Players | 2–8 | 2–8 | 2–10 | 2–5 |
| Best with | 4-8 | 3-6 | 4-6 | 4-5 |
| Play time | 10–15 min | 15 min | 10–30 min | 15–20 min |
| Age | 8+ | 6+ | 7+ | 7+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Imported | Available | Imported | Available |
| On this page | Explore Dobble | Explore UNO | Explore Exploding Kittens |
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Questions people ask about Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
How can I be sure I'm buying the original Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
Blue Orange publishes the original 64-card game under licence in India. Watch out for misspelt names such as 'Tako Kat Gaot Cheese Pizza'. Our Check price on Amazon.in button goes to the listing we've checked; make sure the brand is Blue Orange.
What age is Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza for?
Blue Orange's rulebook says 8 and up, while Indian listings say 7 and up. Children need to keep track of the five-word chant and react quickly, which most 7- and 8-year-olds can do. Adults usually find it just as hard, because the chant trips up everyone.
Can two people play Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza?
Yes, the box says 2 to 8 players. With two, the game is a quick race between you, but most of the fun comes from a crowded table where several hands slap at once. It is best at 4 or more.
What is the difference between Taco Cat, Taco Back and Taco Hat Cake Gift Pizza?
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is the original game. Taco Back Goat Cheese Pizza (sometimes sold as the Flipside version) and Taco Hat Cake Gift Pizza are separate standalone games from Blue Orange built on the same idea with new twists. Each one can be played on its own, so start with the original if you are new to the series.
Game facts
- Designed by
- Dave Campbell
- Publisher
- Dolphin Hat Games, now trading as Taco Cat Games (USA); Blue Orange publishes it under licence in Europe and India
- First published
- 2017
- Players
- 2–8
- Barcode
- 3664824002069
- Language
- Little reading – The cards have pictures and no text to read. The catch is the chant: players say Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza in that order as they flip cards, so everyone needs to know those five English words. A group can agree to use Hindi or Tamil words instead, as long as everyone uses the same five in the same order. The rules leaflet is the only thing that needs reading.
- Box size and weight
- 12.2 × 8.2 × 4.0 cm, 0.2 kg
- Awards
- Mums Choice Awards (UK), Best Family Games, 2020 (Gold)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.